Before The Winx
by KawaiifulPanda
Summary: Musa's story before she attended Alfea and made friends with the Winx. A poor relationship with her father, no friends, living in poverty and banned from her passion of music Musa's life seemed grim. (Musa is not a princess like in the 4 kids version).
1. Chapter 1

A/N Okay so this is my first fanfiction ever, I'm not even sure if this story is interesting or well written but I tried to improve on it as much as I could. Reviews would be useful for those departments! This is basically the back story of Musa, tried to make it as cannon as possible which means sticking to the RAI story although her personality is more that of 4kids. I hope it's enjoyable :)

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"I'm just not sure it's for me" Musa mumbled, prodding her vegetable dumpling with a chopstick. It was a school morning like every other; she was sitting at the table with her father, for breakfast. Normally she gobbles down her breakfast within seconds however her nerves made her feel sick and so lacked the appetite. Just talking about Alfea made her stomach twist and feel nauseous, even if it was months away. Sure, she was excited to learn more about her fairy powers and to leave her boring home town however the thought of going to Alfea was daunting. Her father had arranged for Musa to go a while back and was adamant on her going no matter how much Musa protested.

"Musa you're being ungrateful, this is an amazing opportunity! You're lucky to have gotten into such a prestigious college. I worked hard to save up so that you can go. I want you to have the life I never had and make a proper living for yourself. It would help me sleep at night knowing you have a future. I'm not going through this with you again so don't bother bringing it up. You're going and that's final." Ho-boe sternly lectured. Musa sighed and nodded, she knew her father was only doing what he thought was best. However in Musa's opinion it wasn't necessarily for the best, her passion was performing music and it was something that she had wanted to do way before her mother had passed. Sure becoming a guardian fairy and protecting her realm (if she could even get that powerful) would be awesome but becoming a musician would be like living a dream. She knew her father would never approve of becoming a musician after what happened to her mother as he fears that Musa would be in the same position and be unable to pay for healthcare. Of course Musa also missed her mother dearly and wouldn't want an early end either but who's to say that she wouldn't succeed in becoming a musician?

"You realise that my powers come from music? How would it be different to actually playing-" Musa jumped as her father quickly slammed his hands on the table and awarding Musa with a warning look. "Never mind" Musa quickly added, turning her gaze at her lap. Musa normally avoided the subject entirely as Ho-boe would become hostile whenever music was mentioned but it seemed silly as in either situation she would be using music anyway. Although it felt like she's giving up her dream of becoming a musician, she doesn't want her father to worry about her anymore than he does now. She just wants him to feel proud and be happy like he used to and if becoming a fairy would do that then that's what she'll do.

"Have you prepared for your exam next week?" Ho-boe instigated in changing the topic. Musa nodded in reply. "Good, you need to make sure you maintain those high grades. Any lower than the top and you may lose the chance to get in." Musa had always been prodded to get the best grades by Ho-boe in order to get into a good college. It was a lot of pressure sure, but Musa was naturally bright and determined herself to do well. Alfea is known as one of, if not the best in the magical realm and so it was a surprise that she was accepted as she isn't in a particularly great school at the moment or have a fancy title to her name. Her impressive grades must have swayed them into accepting her.

The price for entry was high but Ho-boe had saved as much money as he could over the years ever since Matlin passed. For a long time they had to hold back on certain necessities in order to get enough in time for college, especially after some of the fund kept at the house had been stolen which caused great anguish for Musa and Ho-boe. Ho-boe didn't have the best paying job and the old records he and Matlin made didn't bring in much money which meant any penny made would have been cherished.

The fact that Alfea is so prestigious made Musa the most nervous about going. Princesses would be there, daughters of Lords and Ladies and of political leaders. How could she fit in with them? It was difficult enough to make friends here, but how would she even have a chance with relating to someone who lived a completely different lifestyle? What if all they talked about were their designer clothes, balls and palaces? Would they laugh at her when they find out her background? It made Musa cringe the thought of being around vain, self-obsessed, bitchy girls. She would even have to share a room and a dorm with them, there would be no escape. At least here she could go home and escape from school life and the girls that went there. She could put up a tough front during the school day and act as if she didn't care what they thought but it wouldn't be possible to do it 24/7. She needed the time at home to relax or cry or vent. Although, Musa reminded herself it was a fresh start and there would be girls who weren't rich or a princess and there had to be some girls that were nice.

"You need to eat, Musa." Ho-boe instructed, snapping Musa out of her thoughts. Musa grimaced, but picked up a dumpling and quickly swallowed it down while Ho-boe got up from the table and collected his cutlery for washing. Her anxiety had only worsened knowing that she would have to go to school soon but decided not to protest against him even if her stomach was in knots. They already had one argument this morning and this wasn't worth another. Although they cared greatly for each other it was quite often that Ho-boe and Musa would butt heads as they were both stubborn and hot-headed.

"Alright I better go, I'll be working later than usual so you'll have to cook for yourself tonight" He informed, kissing Musa on the forehead as a goodbye. Musa's mood suddenly brightened at the thought of being home alone or even better, sneaking out to a club or to play her flute. She gobbled down the rest of her dumplings with more enthusiasm while humming a tune in content. Her flute was the only instrument her dad hadn't managed to get his hands on. She stashed it under her bed, in a shoe box and got it out when she knew her father wouldn't be around. Her flute wasn't her only way to secretly indulge in music as she tried to sneak out when possible to a dance club or rap club. Her home town was small, however being the realm of music, a club was never too far away even if the choice was limited. One of the advantages of going to Alfea was that it was next to Magix which would be home to many clubs and jamming studios. She also wouldn't have to hide her love of music. She could listen to her CDs whenever, or play her flute and practice new songs or maybe even perform. Her heart panged at the thought of performing on stage.

As Musa left the house and walked towards school, she tried to decide how to indulge in music tonight. It was almost like an addiction that she craved every second of the day. She loved all kinds of music however she often went through phases of liking one genre more than the rest. Her current fixation, rap came to mind however it made her groan when she thought of the memory from last week. She had finally mustered up the courage to go up on the stage for a rap battle however froze when it was her turn. Despite her practice of lines and psyching herself up she couldn't get the words to come out. She humiliated herself in front of all those people, including students from her school who teased her about it every day since. It was a scarring experience however she felt determined to redeem herself and show everyone just how strong and talented she was. So it was decided, tonight she was going to the rap club.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you for the lovely reviews and support, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

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Musa let out a content yawn, grateful that the school day was finally over. It wasn't too bad as far as school goes and she hadn't been in any confrontations which was lucky. Musa threw her backpack over her shoulder and leisurely made her way home. Since she lives in a small village on the coast, her school is relatively small and only offers a few courses that aren't mandatory. Musa had chosen a fairy course to develop her magic and strengthen her fairy transformation which was basic compared to what they could learn at Alfea. At the time of choosing an additional course she hadn't thought about taking it at a higher level for college but Ho-boe had been the one to suggest it, eager for Musa to follow a career path that was commendable.

Musa practically had the same classmates throughout the course, although she's not particularly fond of them. She never really felt like she fit in with the friendship groups and there always seemed to be some kind of drama. So she spent a lot of time alone, which was okay even though it was a bit dull and meant she was an easy target for getting picked on but Musa would just ignore them though or come up with a witty comeback, which she was getting pretty good at. Their jabs were often petty but occasionally Musa would genuinely feel hurt, not that she would ever let that show of course. Musa tended to act tough in those situations in order to uphold her ego.

Musa arrived at her house, which she internally nicknames the 'crap shack' simply due to the small size and the appearance that it's falling apart. The holes in the wall and roof had been patched up with cheap wooden planks and even had been used for a broken window pane. It stood out to even the houses surrounding the area as the saddest of the bunch, however it was her home. She had lived in the same house all her life and it held some of her happiest and saddest memories, all of which involved her mother.

It won't be so far away now till she says goodbye to her home and moves into Alfea. She couldn't help but think about how different everything will be. Musa won't deny she's excited to live near a city however, the first time she saw Magix was with her mother as a child, she was so blown away by the modern landscape and general hustle and bustle of the place.

Musa slinked up the stairs to her room; it was rather simple and only held basic furniture with a few knick-knacks lying on top of them, the best part however was the ocean view from her circular window. She threw her back-pack on the bed and immediately grabbed her flute to play a soothing melody.

After playing the flute, completing her homework, cooking and eating dinner, it was finally time to get ready for the rap club. Musa took out her black halter top and dark blue low-rise jeans from the dresser so that she was fit for a night out, although after spotting the age-range for the top, Musa noted that she was in a real need for new clothes. Musa grabbed two black hair bands and tied her hair up in pig-tails; it was the new fad in melody after the realm's favourite idol, Daiyu wore them on her hip-hop tour. Musa wasn't really one to spend a lot of time on her appearance but she needed every ounce of confidence possible if she was going to face the stage again tonight. Musa sucked in a deep breath and held it for a second, before grabbing her lines and folding them up into her pocket. She was really going to go through with it.

Musa turned up at the club to find it filled with people as was the usual, although it wasn't exactly difficult to fill the place considering the small-ish size. Musa pushed through the crowd, to make her way towards the stage and Rylan. Rylan was the manager of the club and was the man to see for arranging time on the stage, he was a pretty chill guy whom Musa respected for his talent for hip-hop beats.

"Look who it is, Oi Musa!"

Musa, now in the centre of the crowd, looked around to find a group of classmates a few feet away and identified the voice as Mieke, who was a nice enough girl and had the tendency to be the loudest in the room. It wasn't surprising to see them here considering it was often the hang out for people at her school, in fact it was better that they were here so that they can see her, hopefully, redeeming performance. As Musa walked over, Mieke nodded in greeting while Wera and Araceli turned to Musa's direction. Mieke had a tan complexion and dark brown eyes which were coated in thick make-up, she wore pig-tails similar to Musa, however her longer emerald hair gave it a different look.

"Hey" Musa greeted somewhat reluctantly, knowing that it was unlikely to be a friendly chat.

"Hi, I'm kind of surprised to see you here, after...well...you know" Mieke babbled tactlessly, waving her hands around in an awkward manner. Musa inwardly groaned at the subject of her misfortune being brought up yet again. Mieke wasn't the type to tease someone unless it was playful however she was often careless in what she talked about and so would often offend others.

"After you chocked on stage" Araceli finished, rolling her green eyes at Mieke. Araceli would probably be Musa's least favourite classmate, although that is of course an understatement considering they're always arguing. Araceli had light blonde hair in a short pixie-cut and typically wore baggy, sporty clothing to style after her favourite rap artists. She had narrow eyes, sharp cheekbones and a slightly crooked nose, giving her an intimidating appearance. Most people were in fact intimidated by her, not just by her appearance but her constant aggressive attitude.

"Look Musa's been wound up about it for over a week now, can we just let it go? It's getting on my nerves" Wera whined, which was all she ever seemed to do, in fact it became a joke within the class that whenever someone complained they were 'pulling a Wera'. Wera, by far the most attractive of the group, although put in the least amount of effort, had a short curly red bob, big round purple eyes and typically wore full tracksuits.

"Thanks Wera, It wasn't like I-" Musa began.

"I wasn't teasing; I was just saying that's what happened. Everyone knows it, so what's the point in beating around the bush?" Araceli asserted, crossing her arms defensively.

"Well as great as this was, I need to see Rylan, so I'll see you later" said Musa sarcastically, losing her patience.

"Rylan? Don't tell me you're performing tonight?" Mieke shrilled.

"Yes and before you say anything, well anything more than you already have, I'm not going to choke again like last time" Musa assured confidently.

Araceli snorted, earning a pointed look from Musa. "Kill the attitude will you? So I got nervous, so what? At least I put myself out there, you don't even have the balls to do that." sneered Musa, leaning toward Araceli aggressively.

"Tch, like you would know, I've performed on stage before and I did a hell of a lot more than just stand there with my mouth gaping open"

"Ooh I know why don't you two rap battle?" proposed Mieke excitedly, pulling Musa and Araceli from their heated glare toward one other.

"Good idea, I'm so bored right now" Wera piped up.

Musa arched an eyebrow toward Araceli, "Well?"

"Rap battle? Isn't that a little last decade? But fine I'll do it, it won't take much to win with my talent" Araceli retorted, beaming with confidence. Musa shook her head in annoyance at Araceli's typical boasting but followed behind her towards the stage.

"Yo Rylan!" Araceli called out, "Got any room in that schedule of yours for a rap battle?"


	3. Chapter 3

Her heart pounding and mind whirling, Musa stepped on stage and faced the roaring crowd. 'It won't be like last time' Musa counselled herself. She turned towards Araceli; this was it, her chance. Wera and Mieke stood at the end of the stage behind Araceli for her encouragement; yelling her name and throwing their fists in the air, although Wera did it far less energetically. They were an odd group of friends; it just seemed strange for people who were so different in personality and interests to mix together. Musa couldn't really understand it, but then again how could she when she had been a loner practically her whole life?

"Whenever you're ready," Rylan discretely muttered to Musa, placing a hand on her shoulder supportively. Musa looked a little bewildered as she processed the circumstance in front of her, however nodded mechanically in reply. Rylan offered a small, kind smile towards her before walking over to the DJ booth and preparing his headphones. It took Rylan some convincing to let Musa on stage again after seeing how distraught she was last time, however he eventually caved and agreed that it was only fair to give her another chance.

"Okay everybody, listen up, it seems we've got a rap battle on our hands," Rylan announced energetically via speaker, "So please give a warm welcome to Araceli and Musa" to which the crowd cheered and clapped in response. The club was quite dark, the only light coming from small frosted windows and dim tube lights, making it difficult to spot members of the crowd or their expressions. On the other hand the stage area itself was significantly brighter which gave the illusion of isolation and certainly exaggerated the phrase 'being in the spotlight'. This reminded Musa of why she was so nervous the first time coming on stage. It also didn't help that her sonar hearing could pick up even the subtlest of sounds within the room, giving her a roaring headache from all the noise.

As the noise from the crowd died down, Musa looked towards Rylan and gave the thumbs up in order to signal for the beat to start. She took a deep, calming breath, before grabbing her microphone tightly and bringing it to her lips. To Musa, it seemed like a whole minute of silence had drifted by before the words started to roll off her tongue, however in reality it had only been around 10 seconds. She stood as stiff as a board to begin with, but it didn't take long till she had relaxed and moved with the rhythm while presenting Araceli threatening gestures in the battle. The music had saved her from freezing up and isolated her from the surrounding environment, in a much more positive way compared to last time as her concentration could solely be upon the lines dished out between them. Time seemed to flicker from an insufferably slow pace to a mind-boggling fast one and it was like the rap battle was over before it had even begun.

Musa was suddenly brought back to reality when the beat had stopped. 'Oh, it's over' Musa thought, baffled at how quickly it all happened. Her eyes drifted towards Araceli to analyse her expression, she seemed a mixture of surprised and irritated.

As the crowd cheered for who they thought was the winner, Musa clenched her fists and shut her eyes from the anticipation. She was good, not as good as during practice but still good considering how she had to think on her feet. Was she better than Araceli though? It's hard to tell when you're so in the moment, without a second to process what had been said to each other. The crowd seemed to react equally as much to both Musa and Araceli as they dished out lines and disses. In reality it wouldn't really have mattered to her if she had won the rap battle or not because either way she didn't freeze this time and the lines came out naturally. It was still a success. Although beating Araceli would be the icing on the cake. Musa's eyes flew open as she heard the crowd cheer for her louder than Araceli and as a result a massive grin spread across her face.

"Looks like we have a winner, lets give it up for Muuusaa" Rylan yelled out to the crowd, turning to Musa with a warm smile to which she simply responded with a grateful nod. Araceli on the other hand grunted and threw Musa a deathly scowl as if to say 'this isn't over', before turning on the spot to join her friends off stage. It was a challenge Musa would eagerly look forward to, despite her loss, Araceli still performed impressively and pretty much just warranted her bragging rights. Although, it would be hard to find someone in melody who wasn't talented in their musical abilities; it was practically in their DNA.

Musa immediately sifted through the crowd, stepped outside the club and transformed into her Winx for a quick journey home. Basking in the moment of glory wasn't worth the trouble of risking her father coming home and finding her missing.

How Musa managed to go from choking on stage just last week to winning a rap battle the next was baffling. Perhaps her pent up anger towards Araceli helped, after all she was pretty adamant in rubbing it in her smug face but then again Musa spent countless hours practicing. One things for sure; being on stage was certainly exhilarating. She wanted more. In fact, it inspired her to write a song.


End file.
